In Monroe County, Pennsylvania, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Monroe County, 24.2% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 79% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 79% of U.S. counties.
What drives Monroe County's score
In Monroe County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 87.3. About three in ten renters (28.8%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 75.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Monroe County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Monroe County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($76,974, 2024) and people below the poverty line (10.8%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 87.3 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent28.8% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.2% · fiscal year 202779th percentile
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- 75.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.2% · August 202564th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people250.5 · 202585th percentile
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- 71.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.7% · August 202581st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.0% · August 202572nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.2% · second quarter of 202660th percentile
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- 68.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202675th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.5% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
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- 35.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.8% · 202429th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.3% · 202445th percentile
- People with a disability15.4% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- People without health insurance6.3% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$76,974 · 202425th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Monroe County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Monroe County, 19.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Monroe County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Monroe County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 24.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Monroe County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Monroe County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 15.1%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2010 to 2011, reaching 9.8%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Monroe County, Pennsylvania.
How Monroe County has changed
Monroe County's population had its largest rise, from 134,936 in 1999 to 158,181 in 2004.
Monroe County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 166,523
High on the chart: 169,390 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Monroe County, Pennsylvania.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Monroe County rose 38% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
High on the chart: 57,138 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Monroe County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.0% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 5.8% | 2024 10.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,091 | 2024 $76,974 |
The table uses 4.9% for 2025; the score uses 4.7% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Monroe County's history
1836
Formed April 1, 1836, from sections of Northampton and Pike counties. Wikipedia
2002
Lightning in August 2002 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
Tobyhanna Army Depot, U.S. Department of Defense center for electronic systems repair and fabrication. Wikipedia
2006
A flood in June 2006 did $16 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Lightning in June 2008 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 169,842. The 2020 Census counted 168,327, 99% of the peak. Census Bureau
2012
Lightning in August 2012 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Monroe County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Monroe County beside its neighbors
Monroe County scores higher than all eight counties that border it, in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. For the share of income from benefit checks, Monroe County ranks 5th of the nine; Wayne County is highest, at 28.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe County, PA | 79 | 10.8% | 24.7% |
| Luzerne County, PA | 72 | 13.4% | 26.8% |
| Carbon County, PA | 63 | 11.3% | 26.5% |
| Lackawanna County, PA | 63 | 14.9% | 26.2% |
| Pike County, PA | 60 | 9.9% | 23.7% |
| Wayne County, PA | 48 | 13.0% | 28.4% |
| Northampton County, PA | 40 | 8.8% | 20.4% |
| Warren County, NJ | 35 | 8.2% | 20.1% |
| Sussex County, NJ | 28 | 5.2% | 16.8% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Monroe County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Monroe County's poverty rate was 10.8% in 2024, 43rd highest of 67 in Pennsylvania (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Forest County, at 22.8%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Monroe County ranks 3rd of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Monroe County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network (PLAN)
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Monroe County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Monroe County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.